Need to Know
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London – Designer Camille Walala has re-imagined London's Oxford Street as car-free, demonstrating how colour and nature could be used to create happier and healthier cities.

Th project envisages the high-traffic shopping street as ‘pedestrianised, plant-filled and people-focused', with geometric designs and architectural structures that house plants and water features.The decision to make the space car-free and offer extensive seating areas looks to further wellbeing in the densely urban area. Walala has also created an AR app for viewers to experience her design proposal via smartphone.

'This project is my what-if portrait of the city of tomorrow, and my own projection of what the London I love might one day look like,' explains Walala. She adds: ‘In times such as these, when the future is uncertain, [and] strain on mental health is high… I believe it's crucial to hang on to what hope we can for the future.’

In a similar vein, our Urban Wellness Market discusses why consumers are demanding higher levels of urban health for their post-Covid-19 future.

US – Clothing brand Carhartt WIP is tuning into its audiences’ interests through the launch of a music-inspired co-branded collection.

The Relevant Parties capsule collection builds on the brand’s podcast series of the same name, which was launched earlier this year. The new release will include a series of limited-edition T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts and gadgets that pay tribute to a host of independent record labels across the world. Alongside the collections, the brand will also sell a limited-edition cassette tape featuring the work of each label.

To celebrate the launch of the collection, NTS Radio will be holding 12 hours of shows made up of slots curated by each label – featuring artists including James Murphy and Little Dragon. In a recent blog post about the project, the brand says the collection 'sees each label collaborate with Carhartt WIP on graphic-based T-shirts, sweats and hoodies, melding each label’s own idiosyncratic aesthetic with our own'.

As a result, the collaboration shows how Carhartt is tapping into the rise of retailtainment.

While sales in the overall beauty category have fallen during Covid-19, research by The Body Shop reveals that spending on self-tanning has risen in the past year.

In the biggest increase in spending in the beauty sector, the average monthly spend on self-tanning products across the UK rose by £27m ($37m, €31m), and the time dedicated to self-tanning during lockdown was up by eight minutes. Meanwhile, time spent on make-up fell by 23 minutes.

Interestingly, spending on cosmetic work, including treatments like teeth whitening and Botox, also increased, with total monthly spend on cosmetics up by £24m ($32m, €27m) across the UK.

While cosmetics procedures may signal a desire for long-term changes, the rise in self-tanning could reflect the consumer need for Mood-boosting Beauty.